Content Storage and Identification

ABSTRACT

Content intended for delivery to one or more consuming users may be recorded by a content distribution system. The recording or archival of the content may allow users to retrieve the content at a later time without providing specific instructions to record the content. Storage of the content may include retrieving programming information describing the content and storing the information in association with the content. In one or more arrangements, descriptive data for content may be generated based on user feedback. Additionally or alternatively, content storage may include fragmentation of the content into a number of segments or segments of a specified size. Content may further be paused and resumed between multiple devices, taking into account the capabilities and compatibilities of the devices and a network through which the content is to be delivered.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/175,745 filed on Jun. 7, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/235,987, filed Sep. 19, 2011 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,386,063), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the disclosure relate to storage and identification ofcontent. Some aspects relate to the automatic recordation, fragmentationand/or description of content such as to provide temporal indexing andretrieval of the content.

BACKGROUND

More and more consumers are relying on delayed viewing to catch shows,programs and other content that they might not be able to see, hear orotherwise consume as originally scheduled. In some cases, as identifiedin this disclosure, users may miss shows or programs if they are notavailable to setup recording of the show or if they are not aware of thescheduling and/or existence of the show or program.

The disclosure also identifies cases where the users might not be ableto migrate between devices, networks and the like.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in orderto provide a basic understanding of some aspects. It is not intended toidentify key or critical elements of the disclosure or to delineate thescope thereof. The following summary merely presents some concepts ofthe disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription provided below.

According to one or more aspects, a content distribution system mayreceive content from a content provider and may record the contentwithout user interaction or instruction. For example, the content may berecorded without receiving corresponding instructions from an end-user(e.g., a viewing or consuming user). The recording or storage may becarried out concurrently with, prior to or after delivery of the contentto a user device (e.g., at a scheduled show time). In one or morearrangements, the content distribution system may be located remotelyfrom the user device and/or the content provider. Additionally, therecording of content may be performed based on parameters and conditionsspecified by the content distributor or the content provider or otherentities other than end-users. For example, a content distributor mayindicate that movies are not to be recorded while all sporting eventsunder 4 hours are to be recorded. In another example, a content providermay indicate that only re-runs are to be recorded while first airingsare not to be recorded. Various other parameters and recordingconditions may be defined as desired or needed.

According to another aspect, content recordation may includefragmentation of the content. In a particular example, a content itemmay be fragmented into multiple individual segments or portions andstored as such. Each segment or portion may be of a predefined size(e.g., time or data size) and may, in one or more arrangements, bestored as a separate segment file. The separate segment files may alsobe individually retrievable by a user or system. In other examples, thecontent item may be fragmented according to a desired number ofsegments. Alternatively or additionally, multiple versions of thecontent item may be stored. Each version may correspond to a differentvideo, audio or text format, device capability, resolution, language,screen size and the like.

According to yet another aspect, descriptive data for the content itemor segments or fragments thereof may be retrieved and stored inassociation with the content item or the content item segments. Forexample, a synopsis of a movie may be stored as metadata with a contentitem. In another example, scoring information may be stored as metadatafor a sporting event. Descriptive data may be retrieved from a varietyof sources including websites, Internet or other network, databases,electronic programming guides and the like. Descriptive data may also bestored at the segment-level and thus, a first content item segment mayinclude a first set of descriptive data while a second content itemsegment includes a second set of descriptive data different from thefirst set.

In still another aspect, user commentary, ratings and other feedback maybe stored as descriptive data in association with a content item orsegments thereof. Thus, a content item and portions of the content itemmay be more specifically described using user feedback. In one example,a user may identify the start and end times for a particular event(e.g., an exciting play in a sporting event, a climactic scene in amovie, a story in a news program). The content distribution system maythen store appropriate descriptive data (e.g., user labels, titles ordescription) for the segments falling within the start and end times.Additionally or alternatively, the corresponding segments (or copiesthereof) may be stored separately as an individual clip or content item.

According to another aspect, a content distribution system may allowusers to seamlessly transition between devices while viewing, listeningto or reading content. The content distribution system may determinewhether the device on which content is to be resumed is the same deviceor a different device. If a different device, the content distributionsystem may then select a version of the content that is compatible withthe new device. In either case, the content distribution system mayfurther determine a network through which the content is to be deliveredand format the content in accordance with a transmission protocolsuitable for the network.

The details of these and other embodiments of the present disclosure areset forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otherfeatures and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitedin the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicatesimilar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network environment according to one ormore aspects described herein.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for recording orstoring content according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example data flow in which content is fragmentedaccording to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for obtainingdescriptive data in association with content according to one or moreaspects described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example display providing options for viewing andsubmitting user feedback according to one or more aspects describedherein.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for transferringand/or resuming content playback/rendering between devices and/ornetworks according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example block diagram of a computing systemaccording to one or more aspects described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of the various embodiments, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and inwhich is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which theinvention may be practiced. For example, aspects described hereinprovide a content recording and delivery system through which contentmay be automatically recorded by a content provider to a storage device.Additionally, the system may perform the automatic recording withoutuser instruction or specification from user devices. This provides theuser with the ability to retrieve content after the content has alreadybeen delivered (e.g., broadcast, streamed, unicast, multicast orotherwise transmitted) according to a predefined schedule and withouthaving to request recordation ahead of time. It is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and structural and functionalmodifications may be made without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment 100 that may be used inconnection with one or more aspects described herein. Networkenvironment 100 includes a content source 101, a content delivery system103, a storage device 105 and user devices 107 a and 107 b. Duringcontent delivery, the content source 101, such as a television station,a network content server (e.g., YouTube), web servers providingstreaming content or any other content providers, provides content tothe content delivery system 103 for distribution to one or more users(e.g., subscriber, member, viewer, client, customer, service purchaser,etc.) and user devices 107 a and 107 b, for example. Content may includedata, audio, video, text, images, haptic feedback signals and/orcombinations thereof. User devices 107 a and 107 b may be user premisesdevices and portable user devices such as a content rendering device(e.g., a display, television, monitor, mobile telecommunication devices,smartphones, gaming devices, audio playback device, radio, personalcomputer, media player, digital video recorder, etc.), a local storagedevice, a receiver and/or combinations thereof. A content renderingdevice may be integral with or external to the user devices 107 a and107 b. In one or more arrangements, user devices 107 a and 107 b and/orusers thereof may be required to register with the content deliverysystem 103 and/or content source 101. In an alternate example,registration might not be required; instead, the user may simply specifya content location or address to access and/or receive desired contentitems.

Upon receipt of content from the content source 101, the contentdelivery system 103 may be configured to distribute the content to oneor more user devices 107 a and 107 b. For example, the content deliverysystem 103 may deliver content to one or more requesting users throughassociated user devices 107 a and 107 b. In other examples, the contentmay be delivered to all user devices 107 a and 107 b associated with thecontent delivery system 103, or to user devices 107 a and 107 b selectedby the content delivery system 103 based on parameters specified by thecontent source 101, a viewer/user and/or a provider operating thecontent delivery system 103.

Content delivery system 103 may transmit the content using a variety ofnetworks, network protocols, transmission protocols, and the like. Inone example, content delivery system 103 may deliver content through awide area network (WAN) such as the Internet using IP protocol. In otherexamples, content may be delivered through MPEG transport streams.Content delivery system 103 may be configured to transmit content overwireless and/or wired networks such as Wi-Fi networks, cellularnetworks, coaxial networks, fiber optic networks, hybrid fiber-opticcoax (HFC) networks, WANs, local area networks (LANs) and the likeand/or combinations thereof.

In various examples, content delivery system 103 may be configured todeliver content based on a predefined schedule that may, in somearrangements, be provided to users in the form of an electronicprogramming guide (EPG). In some examples, content may include liveprogramming (e.g., sporting events, news broadcasts). Other types ofschedules may also be used including printed guides, schedules providedthrough a separate application or app (e.g., on a user's mobilecommunication device), web-based programming schedules and the like. Ifa user is unaware or not available to watch or request recording of thecontent prior to the scheduled delivery, the user might not be able toview the content until or unless delivery of that content is scheduledagain for a later time. In order to provide the user with the ability toaccess content regardless of whether the user provided instructions torecord the content prior to the scheduled delivery, portions ofcomponents of the content delivery system 103 is further configured torecord content with or without user instruction or specifications. Inone configuration, the content delivery system 103 may be configured torecord content without instructions from any devices configured toreceive content from content delivery system 103 and/or users thereof.For example, the content delivery system 103 may record all content thatis delivered to user devices 107 so that they are available for futuredelivery/retrieval. In another example, content delivery system 103 (orany of its portions or components, as to be understood herein) mayautomatically record content based on non-viewer/end-user specifiedparameters, such as service/content provider or operator definedparameters (e.g., specifications, triggers, etc.). Storage may beperformed concurrently with the delivery of the content to user devices.

Content may be recorded to various storage devices including networkstorage device 105. The network storage device 105 may be independentfrom any specific subscriber or user and may, instead, reside at acontent or service provider location. Content delivery system 103 mayalso be configured to associate the recorded content with contentmetadata and/or attribute information including, for example, a synopsisof the content, actors in a movie or show, teams in a sporting event,date and subject of a news broadcast, station or channel through whichthe content was delivered, a time of the content delivery, format of thecontent (e.g., high definition (HD) vs. standard definition (SD), 1080i,1080p, 720p) etc. Descriptive information may be retrieved from aseparate or integral database, such as supplemental information database111, and associated with corresponding content. The content may beoffered for consumption (e.g., viewing, listening, etc.) through aserver, such as archive server 109. Archive server 109 may be a part ofor physically separate from content delivery system 103 and may belocated locally to or remotely from content delivery system 103. In oneexample, a user device such as device 107 a may contact server 109 uponreceipt of user instructions to access recorded or archived content.Instructions and/or the delivery of recorded or archived content may betransmitted via any communication link, directly or through one or moreintermediary devices such as routers, gateway devices, localizedservers, Internet service providers (ISPs) and the like.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for automaticallystoring or archiving content received, for example, content from acontent source, from individual users, entities, institutions,organizations, etc. In step 200, a content delivery system (e.g., system103 of FIG. 1) receives content from a content provider. The content mayinclude data, audio, video, text, haptic feedback signals and the like,and may be provided from a variety of sources, as discussed above, suchas content providers, television broadcast companies, Internet contentproviders, other users, user-generated content sites and the like. Instep 205, the content delivery system optionally converts the contentinto an appropriate content format for delivery to one or more userdevices (e.g., devices at premises, remote devices, mobile devices,etc.) for consumption by a user, such as at a user's location such as ahome, office or vehicle. Converting the content may include encoding ortranscoding the content according to a content format such as MPEG4,FLASH, or any other format, and/or adapting the content to a predefinedbitrate and/or resolution. In some arrangements, multiple versions ofthe content may be created to serve differing user devices and devicecapabilities (e.g., SD vs. HD display devices, mobile display devices,HD vs. SD radio, SMS vs. MMS etc.). In step 210, the content deliverysystem may optionally further process the content for delivery accordingto one or more transport protocols such as MPEG Transport Streams (TS),IP datastreams, mobile content delivery protocols etc. The content maybe processed according to multiple different transport protocols tocommunicate with different types of networks and devices (e.g., set-topboxes may receive MPEG TS transmissions while IP-enabled devices may beconfigured to receive IP datastreams). In step 215, the content maysubsequently be delivered to one or more user devices through anappropriate network or combination of networks (e.g., cellular networks,the Internet or other WANs, LANs, etc.). In some arrangements, thecontent may be maintained or stored by the content delivery system untila scheduled delivery time (e.g., a broadcast or transmission timedefined by a schedule).

Prior to, concurrently with and/or after delivery of the content to theuser devices, the content delivery system may further record orotherwise store the content into one or more network storage devices orarchives (e.g., storage device 105 of FIG. 1). The recording or storageprocess may include, for example, an initial fragmentation step asillustrated in step 220. Fragmentation of the content item may allow formore specific, or fine grain, searching and navigation of the content orparticular content item. For example, if a user wishes to identify onlyportions of the content that include a home run during a baseball game,the content delivery system or a server may identify and provide accessto or deliver only those content fragments or segments corresponding toa home run event. Segments, fragments and portions may all describe asubset of an entire content item and are used interchangeably throughoutthis description. The segments may be of a predefined size such as 2seconds, 4 seconds, 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute or thelike. In some arrangements, the segment size may depend on the contenttype and/or size. In one example, audio may be fragmented into 3 secondportions while video may be fragmented into 10 second portions. Inanother example, content having a length of 30 seconds or less may befragmented into 1 second portions while content that is 31 seconds to 1minute in length may be fragmented into 2 second portions. In yetanother example, the size of the segments may be defined based onstorage/data size. In one aspect, segments may be limited to 50 MB each.Accordingly, even though an HD video and a SD video of the same contentare the same length, in an aspect, the HD video may be fragmented intomore pieces or portions than the SD video since the HD video willgenerally include more data and thus be of greater data size.

In step 225, the content delivery system may further retrievesupplemental information, such as programming data, for association(e.g., storage) with the content (or the individual segments thereof).The information may include a variety of information related to thecontent including names of actors, actresses, speakers, singers,artists, authors, date of creation, date of first broadcast/delivery,awards won, synopsis or summary, definition level (HD vs. SD),popularity, viewer comments and ratings (e.g., from social mediaentities) and the like. As noted previously, the programming data may beretrieved from a variety of sources such as the Internet or othernetworks, a content provider, a content distributor database, individualusers or groups, an electronic programming guide and/or combinationsthereof. In step 230, the content delivery system may store thesupplemental information (e.g., programming data) in association withthe content in a storage device (e.g., network storage device 105 ofFIG. 1). In one example, the programming data may be stored as metadatafor the content file or each content segment file. In another example,each content file or content segment file may include a reference (e.g.,a link) to supplemental information, such as programming data, stored ina database or accessible elsewhere. Upon retrieving the content, e.g.,for delivery, to a requesting device and/or user, the correspondinginformation may also be retrieved based on the stored link or otherreference.

In step 235, the content delivery system may optionally schedule theavailability of the recorded content to consumers (e.g., viewers,readers, listeners) and other users. Some content, for instance, may berestricted from on-demand or at-will type access until a certain date oramount of time has lapsed. For example, content creator or providersmight not allow on-demand access to content until 2 weeks after theoriginal showing, delivery or airing of the content. Such availabilityrestrictions may be defined by the content provider, by the contentdelivery service and the like. In some arrangements, recorded contentmight only be made available for a limited amount of time.Alternatively, recorded content may be available to users indefinitely.

Recording and/or storage of content without end user/viewer instructionsis also advantageous in that such a feature allows the user to pausecontent without requiring localized storage. Accordingly, even if a userdoes not own or have access to a content recording device, the user maystill use content control functionalities such as pause, rewind, fastforward and the like. In another example, if the user's home contentrecording device is full, pre-occupied (e.g., by other recordings) orotherwise unavailable, the user may still use such content controlfunctionalities.

Another example feature of the content recording system described hereinincludes selective recording by the content access distribution system.That is, instead of recording all received content automatically, thecontent recording system may selectively record content based on variousrules and parameters (e.g., copyright restrictions, cost, time,projected or actual user interest, etc.). Recording rules and parametersmay be specified by the content distribution service, a content creatoror provider, a content distributor, an end-user and/or combinationsthereof. In one example, a content distribution system might only recordcontent of particular types, provided on specified channels, or fromparticular content providers. In another example, a content distributionsystem might only record content of specified categories or types (e.g.,television shows and sporting events but not movies). In still otherexamples, selective recording may be based on a length or duration ofthe content item, a rating of the content (e.g., an MPAA rating, ESRBrating), the source (e.g., particular network such as the Internet,specific broadcasters such as NBC, CBS, etc., free vs. paid providers,etc.), time of day and/or combinations thereof.

In some arrangements, in addition to merging programming data or otherinformation with content segments, the system may furthercross-reference and index the content segments against other contentrepositories such as HULU, NETFLIX, ITUNES, AMAZON, YOUTUBE and thelike. For example, a content segment may be associated with metadatathat identifies the content based on an identifier. These identifiersmay be standardized across multiple repositories and thus, a user may beprovided with a choice of on-line providers using the content and/orsegment identifier by querying the other repositories using theidentifiers. The identifier may be content specific or segment specific.In some examples, the overall content may correspond to a firstidentifier while each individual segment may correspond to their ownunique identifiers.

Another feature of cross-referencing between repositories includes theability to identify specific content portions of interest in theexternal repositories based on the indexing provided by the contentrecording system. For example, external repositories might not includemetadata (e.g., timecodes, descriptions) having a granularity as fine asthat which may be provided by the content recording system as a contentsegment level. Accordingly, using the content segment level metadatasuch as timecodes provided by the content recording system, a system mayaccess relevant portions of content from the external repositorieswithout requiring a user to manually search through the content of theexternal repository. Additionally or alternatively, alternative formats,languages, resolutions and the like may be identified from the externalrepositories based on the content identifier(s).

FIG. 3 illustrates an example architecture and data flow in whichcontent is delivered and archived according to one or more aspectsdescribed herein. Varying types and formats of content may be receivedfrom a variety of sources including content sources 301 a and 301 b. Thecontent may be streamed from content sources 301 a, 301 b or may bedelivered (e.g., downloaded) as a whole to or accessed by contentdelivery system 303. Upon receipt of the content, the content deliverysystem 303 may determine whether to record or otherwise store thecontent in addition to delivering the content to one or more userdevices 305 a and 305 b according to a specified distribution schedule.If the content is to be stored, the content delivery system 303 maysubsequently fragment the content into one or more segments 307 forstorage in archive 309, or another device or location. Metadata and/ordescriptive information may be stored in association with each segment307. In one example, if commercials are inserted at known times and forknown durations during a program, the content delivery system 303 mayfurther categorize or group the segment 307 into commercial segments andnon-commercial segments. Other descriptive or supplemental informationmay be retrieved from one or more sources such as database 311.

As noted herein, content delivery system 303 may, in some arrangements,generate or cause to be generated multiple versions, e.g., 313 a and 313b, of content for different receiving devices, users, etc. In oneexample, each of the multiple versions may be different from oneanother. In other examples, one or more of the multiple versions may bethe same as another version. Accordingly, database 311 and/or archive309 may further store references between the versions. In one example,database 311 and/or archive 309 may store links or references betweencorresponding segments of the different versions of the recorded content(e.g., link 319 between segment 315 and segment 317 of a first versionand a second version of the recorded content, respectively). In aparticular example, an HD version of the recorded content may comprisetwice as many segments as the SD version of the same content.Accordingly, if a user wishes to switch from SD to HD during at aparticular point in the content, a reference to a corresponding HDsegment or fragment would allow for quick and seamless retrieval anddelivery.

Descriptions of segments or fragments of the content (or the content asa whole) may also be generated based on user interaction and feedback.In one example, content distribution personnel may manually mark and tagcontent and/or segments thereof to identify particular events (e.g.,touchdowns, goals, slam dunks, gunfight scenes, etc.), identify contentsub-portions (e.g., commercials), describe scenes, identify actors andthe like. In other examples, users or social networks watching thecontent may also provide feedback and descriptive information tosupplement predefined programming data. The additional description andidentification data may then be additionally stored with the contentitem or a specific segment or segments thereof and used to allow formore fine grain searching during later retrieval (e.g., from a contentarchive). For instance, a user retrieving a recorded football game maybe able to search for and watch only touchdown segments (e.g., drivesending in a touchdown).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for obtainingcontent description data and storing such data in association with acontent item or segment of content. In step 400, a content distributionsystem may begin delivering a content item to a user through, forexample, a user device. As the content is being delivered, the contentdistribution system may further monitor for feedback data received fromthe user in step 405. Users may provide feedback using a variety ofdevices including remote controls by pressing a predefined button forrating a content item or selecting a feedback option (e.g., indicating afavorable opinion versus unfavorable opinion, identifying a significantportion of the content item, marking inappropriate content portions,etc.). In other examples, users may operate an alphanumeric keyboard(physical or virtual), speak into a microphone, use gestures, orotherwise enter comments and/or descriptions relating to the contentitem or a segment of the content. The comments, indicators and/or otheruser generated feedback data may then be transmitted, e.g., through theuser device (e.g., a display, a content rendering device, a contentreceiving device, etc.), to the content distribution system.Accordingly, content distribution system may detect and receive userfeedback data in step 410 at various points during content delivery.

Upon receipt of the user feedback, the content distribution system maygenerate a timestamp associated with the time at which the user feedbackwas received in step 415. In some arrangements, the content distributionsystem may use a timestamp generated by the user device upon the userentering their feedback. The timestamp may include a time of day, timeof week, date, content segment identifier (e.g., if the content item hasalready been fragmented), a lapsed running time of the content and/orcombinations thereof. In step 420, the content distribution system maydetermine whether the feedback corresponds to a rating or if thefeedback corresponds to user comments. Ratings may include auser-specified value based on a predefined numerical, alphabetical,alphanumerical, symbolic scale such as 1-5, A-E, 1-5 stars, thumbs up orthumbs down, etc.

If the user feedback corresponds to ratings, the feedback may be addedto a running tabulation of ratings in step 425. Ratings may beregistered (e.g., specified or stored) for specific segments of thecontent or for the content as a whole. In one example, users may be ableto choose the level of granularity of their ratings. Alternatively, userratings may automatically be designated for the content as a whole orthe corresponding segment during which the rating was entered. Ratingsmay be used to provide recommendations to other users or for such otherusers to evaluate whether the content item is worthwhile.

If the feedback corresponds to description or user commentary (e.g.,user-entered text), the content distribution system may store thecommentary in a database of user comments for the content item in step430. As with ratings, the user commentary or description may be storedin association with a particular content segment rather than the entirecontent item. Optionally, the content distribution system may also parsethe description or commentary to extract keywords that may be used forsearching and indexing in step 435. Parsing may include removingarticles, transition words and the like that are likely to benon-descriptive in nature. Remaining words may then be compared to adatabase of known descriptive words such as artist, actor or authornames, content genres (e.g., sci-fi or adventure movies, country or popmusic, etc.). The known descriptive words may then be stored as keywordsin association with the content or content segment in step 440. Othermethods of parsing and identifying keywords may be used to associatekeywords and search terms with content items and content item segments.For example, if the commentary includes audio description or comments,methods of speech recognition and parsing may be used to convert theaudio to text, store the text and identify keywords from the convertedtext.

Additionally or alternatively, users may identify the beginning and endpoints for a particular event such as a climactic scene in a movie, ascoring play in a sporting event, a scene in which an actor makes acameo appearance, a specific news story during a newscast and the like.Using the identification of start and end times, the contentdistribution system may create additional content items. For example,the content distribution system may merge the segments corresponding tothe start and end times and the period therebetween into a new contentitem (e.g., a clip of a sporting event, news story, etc.).Alternatively, instead of merging the segments into a single contentitem file, the segments may be copied and stored in association with oneanother as an item of content. In one or more arrangements, the contentdistribution system may also prompt the user for a description of themarked portion (e.g., one or more segments of the content item).

As described in FIG. 4, for example, users consuming content may providecommentary and helpful information to identify and label content itemsand segments of those content items. By doing so, the archive ordatabase of content items may offer users more detailed searching usingkeywords, ratings and other user feedback. Additionally, contentproviders and/or content distributors may use such feedback toautomatically filter or censor content. For example, if segments of acontent item have been identified as inappropriate for younger audiences(e.g., rated R or higher, including nudity, profanity and/or violence)by one or more users, a content distributor, for example, may removethose segments from playback (e.g., not delivering those segments to theuser and substituting appropriate segments). The labeling oridentification, in some instances, may be verified prior to removal ofthe corresponding segments. In some arrangements, the segments mightonly be removed if the user is below a certain age, if the user hasrequested a specific version of the content, if content control settingshave been set and/or combinations thereof.

In addition to allowing finer grain commenting and description ofcontent, fragmentation further provides users the ability to transfer orcontinue consumption of a content item between devices. Thus, instead ofviewing a video on a television, pausing at a point in the video,starting the same video again on a mobile display device and searchingfor the paused point, fragmentation allows users to jump to the pausedpoint without requiring manual searching. Still further, segment-leveldescriptions and data may be used to generate supplemental content. Inone example, a user watching a biographical film about Joe Namath mayrequest additional content about Joe Namath's football career. Inresponse, the content distribution system may identify and retrieve acollection of clips showing various highlights of Joe Namath's career.In particular, the content distribution system may search for contentsegments or clips having a description of “highlight,” “touchdown,”“newsworthy,” “big play” or other key words and phrases relevant toidentifying career highlights.

According to other aspects, user feedback on a segment by segment basismay also provide hints as to where to place commercials and other typesof advertising. For example, if users consistently rate a particularsegment of a radio or video program highly, an advertiser may be moreinclined to place advertisements shortly before or after that segment.Content distributors and/or providers may then provide a differentiatedcost scale for advertising at different times of the content program.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example user interface through which users mayview previously submitted comments and add their own comments to acontent item or a particular portion thereof. Screen display 500 maycorrespond to the display of a stationary display device such as atelevision or a portable display such as a mobile telecommunicationdevice, laptop computer, pad (e.g., tablets) and the like. Screendisplay 500 may display content 501 simultaneously with descriptiveinformation in region 513. For example, region 513 may include asynopsis 505 of the content 501, user comments 507 submitted for content501, an option 509 to add user comments and an option 511 to rate thecontent. Comments 507 and synopsis 505 may relate directly to the scenebeing shown (e.g., the segment of the content item being displayed) orto the content item as a whole. Similarly, comments added using option509 or ratings submitted using option 511 may be assigned to a segment(or more than one segment) or the entire content item. Option 503 may beincluded to allow user toggling between displaying and not displayingregion 513. For example, region 513 may be hidden or revealed byselecting option 503.

Once content has been recorded or otherwise stored, users may accessrecorded content items through the content distribution system or anetwork archive server. In one or more arrangements, the network archiveand the content distribution system may correspond to the same system.For example, a user may browse through a list of recorded content andretrieve desired content. In some instances, users might not be able tofinish consuming the content at one time or may wish to consume thecontent using a different device (e.g., in a different location or inthe same location). Accordingly, the content distribution system mayfurther facilitate the transfer of the content between devices orbetween networks (e.g., a mobile device transitioning from a Wi-Finetwork to a cellular network).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for transferringcontent consumption between two rendering devices. Initially, a contentdistribution system delivers a requested content item to a user througha first user device as shown in step 600. The content item may alreadybe fragmented, for example, according to the methods and systemsdescribed herein. In other arrangements, the content item may befragmented on the fly as the content is being delivered. In step 605,the content distribution system may receive a pause or transfer commandfrom the first user device. Upon receipt of the pause or transfercommand, the content distribution system may identify a content fragmentor segment being played during receipt or actuation of the pause commandin step 610. In one example, the fragment or segment may be identifiedby the first user device when signaling the pause or transfer command tothe content distribution system. In another example, the contentdistribution system may identify the fragment or segment based on a mostrecent segment or fragment delivered to the first user device (e.g., incontent streaming environments). In step 615, the content distributionsystem may further pause delivery of the content and, optionallyinstruct the first user device to pause the content (e.g., by displayinga frozen image). In some arrangements, the first user device may pausethe content in response to the pause or transfer command and withoutinstruction from the content distribution system. In step 620, thecontent distribution system may subsequently wait for a resume commandfor the paused content.

In step 625, the content distribution system may receive a command toresume the paused content. In response to the resume command, thecontent distribution system may identify or otherwise determine thedevice from which the resume command was received and the device type.and using the identification information and/or device type information,determine whether the device corresponds to the first user device or isa different, e.g., second, user device as shown in step 630. Thedetermination of step 630 may be conducted based on device serialnumbers, device addresses (e.g., IP or other network addresses), userspecification, device names and the like. If the resume command isreceived from a device other than the first user device such as thesecond user device, the content distribution system may determine thesecond user device's capabilities in step 635. Capabilities may includescreen size, screen resolution, audio playback capabilities (e.g., 6.1versus 5.1 surround system, no speakers), device storage capacity,processor speed, RAM capacity, video codec compatibilities, audio codeccompatibilities and the like. Once the device capabilities have beendetermined, the content distribution system may subsequently select acompatible version of the content in step 640.

Moreover, the content distribution system may determine a fragment orsegment of the selected version of content that corresponds to thepaused segment or fragment of the originally delivered version of thecontent in step 645. For example, determination or identification of thecorresponding segment may include matching a running time associatedwith the paused segment/fragment of the content item (e.g., stored asmetadata in association with the segment content file) to a segment ofthe selected version of the content. In another example, thecorresponding segment may be identified based on a relative position ofthe paused segment within a set of segments making up the originallydelivered content item. Thus, in a particular arrangement, if the pausedsegment is the 20^(th) segment in a set of 100 segments making up afirst version of the content (⅕^(th) of the way through the sequence ofsegments), a corresponding segment of a second version of the contentmay be identified as the 40^(th) segment in a set of 200 segments makingup the second version (similarly ⅕^(th) of the way through the sequenceof segments).

After identifying the corresponding segment or if the contentdistribution system receives the resume command from the same first userdevice, the content distribution system may proceed to determine a typeof network through which content delivery is requested in step 650. Instep 655, the content distribution system may select a transmissionprotocol in accordance with the determined network type. In step 660,the content distribution system may subsequently format the content inaccordance with the transmission protocol and resume delivery of thecontent. If the requesting device is the same first user device,delivery of the content may resume with the originally paused versionand segment of the content. If, on the other hand, the requesting deviceis a different, second user device, delivery may resume with theidentified corresponding version and segment of the content.

Using the features, methods and systems described above with respect toat least FIG. 6, the user is thus able to easily and seamlesslytransition between devices while watching the same content. For example,the user is not required to visually and manually search for theappropriate point at which the content was paused. Moreover, the user isnot required to manually configure device capabilities and selectcompatible versions of the content based on the new device or newnetwork through which content is to be viewed, heard, read or the like.

The systems, devices and apparatuses described herein may includecomputing elements configured to process data and execute instructions.FIG. 7 illustrates a computing system 700 that may be used in a networkenvironment such as that illustrated in FIG. 1. In one example,computing system 700 may operate as content distribution system 103 ofFIG. 1. Computing system 700 may include a processor 701, random accessmemory (RAM) 703, read only memory (ROM) 705, network adapter 707,input/output adapter 709 and database 711. Processor 701 may operate toperform mathematical calculations and other processes to assist in theexecution of computer executable instructions. RAM 703 and ROM 705 maybe configured to temporarily or permanently store the computerexecutable instructions for retrieval and execution. Network adapter 707may be configured to facilitate communication over various types ofnetworks (e.g., wide-area networks, local area networks, publicnetworks, private networks, in-home networks, etc.) with one or moreother devices and/or applications (not shown). Database 711 may beconfigured to store instructions and data including applications,images, text, videos, audio, configuration information, setting data,user profiles, preferences and the like. In one example, database 711may be configured to store recorded content items and contentdescription data.

As noted above, the components and elements of computing system 700 maybe used in any of the devices described herein including user devices(e.g., user premises devices, portable computing systems, etc.), contentprovider systems, content distributor systems, archival systems, archiveservers and the like. Components of computing system 700 may be optionaland may be removed or added as needed or desired.

The methods, systems and other features described herein may further beimplemented through any number of computer readable media (e.g., memory)that are able to store computer readable instructions. Examples ofcomputer readable media that may be used include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, DVD or other optical diskstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic storage and thelike.

Additionally or alternatively, in at least some embodiments, the methodsand features recited herein may be implemented through one or moreintegrated circuits (ICs). An integrated circuit may, for example, be amicroprocessor that accesses programming instructions or other datastored in a read only memory (ROM). In some such embodiments, the ROMstores programming instructions that cause the IC to perform operationsaccording to one or more of the methods described herein. In at leastsome other embodiments, one or more of the methods described herein arehardwired into an IC. In other words, the IC is in such cases anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having gates and otherlogic dedicated to the calculations and other operations describedherein. In still other embodiments, the IC may perform some operationsbased on execution of programming instructions read from ROM or RAM,with other operations hardwired into gates and other logic of the IC.Further, the IC may output image data to a display buffer.

Although specific examples of carrying out the invention have beendescribed, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there arenumerous variations and permutations of the above-described systems andmethods that are contained within the spirit and scope of the inventionas set forth in the appended claims. Additionally, numerous otherembodiments, modifications and variations within the scope and spirit ofthe appended claims will occur to persons of ordinary skill in the artfrom a review of this disclosure.

1. A method comprising: sending, by a computing device, to a first userdevice, and based on a first request for a content item, a first contentsegment of a first version of the content item; receiving, from thefirst user device, a first user description corresponding to the firstcontent segment; and sending, to a second user device, based on a secondrequest for a second version of the content item, and based oninformation indicating that a second content segment, of the secondversion, corresponds to the first content segment, the first userdescription and the second content segment.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the content item is a first content item, and the method furthercomprises: generating a second content item by merging content segments,of the first version of the first content item, that correspond to anevent occurring in the first content item; generating informationindicating an association between a second user description and thesecond content item; and making, based on the information indicating theassociation, the second user description and the merged content segmentsavailable to a plurality of user devices.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving, from the second user device and duringdelivery of a third content segment of the second version of the contentitem, a request to pause sending of the content item; receiving, from athird user device, a request to resume sending of the content item;determining a fourth content segment, of the first version of thecontent item, that corresponds to the third content segment; andsending, to the third user device, the fourth content segment.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first user description corresponding tothe first content segment is a user rating for the first contentsegment, and the method further comprises: determining, based on theuser rating, a placement location for commercial content for delivery toone of a plurality of user devices.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving, from the second user device, a second userdescription corresponding to the second content segment; and generatinginformation indicating an association between the second userdescription and the second content segment.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the second content segment has a time duration different from atime duration of the first content segment.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein: the content item is a movie; the first user description is acomment, from a first user, associated with a high definition version ofa portion of the movie; and the sending the first user description andthe second content segment comprises: sending, with a standarddefinition version of the portion of the movie, the comment associatedwith the high definition version of the portion of the movie.
 8. Anapparatus comprising: one or more processors; and memory storinginstructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causethe apparatus to: send, to a first user device, and based on a firstrequest for a content item, a first content segment of a first versionof the content item; receive, from the first user device, a first userdescription corresponding to the first content segment; and send, to asecond user device, based on a second request for a second version ofthe content item, and based on information indicating that a secondcontent segment, of the second version, corresponds to the first contentsegment, the first user description and the second content segment. 9.The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the content item is a first contentitem, and the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors,further cause the apparatus to: generate a second content item bymerging content segments, of the first version of the first contentitem, that correspond to an event occurring in the first content item;generate information indicating an association between a second userdescription and the second content item; and make, based on theinformation indicating the association, the second user description andthe merged content segments available to a plurality of user devices.10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed bythe one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to: receive,from the second user device, and during delivery of a third contentsegment of the second version of the content item, a request to pausesending of the content item; receive, from a third user device, arequest to resume sending of the content item; determine a fourthcontent segment, of the first version of the content item, thatcorresponds to the third content segment; and send, to the third userdevice, the fourth content segment.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8,wherein the first user description corresponding to the first contentsegment is a user rating for the first content segment, and theinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further causethe apparatus to: determine, based on the user rating, a placementlocation for commercial content for delivery to one of a plurality ofuser devices.
 12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the instructions,when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatusto: receive, from the second user device, a second user descriptioncorresponding to the second content segment; and generate informationindicating an association between the second user description and thesecond content segment.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the secondcontent segment has a time duration different from a time duration ofthe first content segment.
 14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein: thecontent item is a movie; the first user description is a comment, from afirst user, associated with a high definition version of a portion ofthe movie; and the instructions, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, further cause the apparatus to send the first userdescription and the second content segment by sending, with a standarddefinition version of the portion of the movie, the comment associatedwith the high definition version of the portion of the movie.
 15. One ormore non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that,when executed by one or more processors, cause: sending, to a first userdevice, and based on a first request for a content item, a first contentsegment of a first version of the content item; receiving, from thefirst user device, a first user description corresponding to the firstcontent segment; and sending, to a second user device, based on a secondrequest for a second version of the content item, and based oninformation indicating that a second content segment, of the secondversion, corresponds to the first content segment, the first userdescription and the second content segment.
 16. The one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the contentitem is a first content item, and the instructions, when executed by theone or more processors, further cause: generating a second content itemby merging content segments, of the first version of the first contentitem, that correspond to an event occurring in the first content item;generating information indicating an association between a second userdescription and the second content item; and making, based on theinformation indicating the association, the second user description andthe merged content segments available to a plurality of user devices.17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15,wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors,further cause: receiving, from the second user device, and duringdelivery of a third content segment of the second version of the contentitem, a request to pause sending of the content item; receiving, from athird user device, a request to resume sending of the content item;determining a fourth content segment, of the first version of thecontent item, that corresponds to the third content segment; andsending, to the third user device, the fourth content segment.
 18. Theone or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein:the first user description corresponding to the first content segment isa user rating for the first content segment, and the instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, further cause: determining,based on the user rating, a placement location for commercial contentfor delivery to one of a plurality of user devices.
 19. The one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, furthercause: receiving, from the second user device, a second user descriptioncorresponding to the second content segment; and generating informationindicating an association between the second user description and thesecond content segment.
 20. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the second content segmenthas a time duration different from a time duration of the first contentsegment.
 21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media ofclaim 15, wherein: the content item is a movie; the first userdescription is a comment, from a first user, associated with a highdefinition version of a portion of the movie; and the instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, cause sending the first userdescription and the second content segment by causing sending, with astandard definition version of the portion of the movie, the commentassociated with the high definition version of the portion of the movie.